Cold weather prep: how to winterize your home and prevent fires

JACKSON, Tenn. — With the dropping temperatures, hopefully you’ve prepared your home for the colder weather this winter.

If not, WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reporter Ali Mason has some advice from professionals.

We spoke with the Jackson Fire Department and leaders with a local heating and air conditioning company to get the expert’s advice on how to deal with winter’s cold winds.

“During the winter months, we do see a rise in home fires due to improper use of portable heating appliances, such as space heaters,” Jackson Fire Marshal Lamar Childress said.

Childress said the most commonly misused heating device is a portable space heater.

“Have a three feet clearance around the space heater from combustible materials, do not plug the space heater into an extension cord or power strip, and inspect the space heater to make sure there’s no loose connections or frayed cords, and keep them out of high traffic areas such as door ways,” Childress advised.

Combustible materials include curtains, paper, clothes, and furniture.

The same advice goes for floor furnaces.

Fire officials also say to make sure you have working smoke detectors in your home.

Not only is fire prevention important, so is preventing heat loss from your home, and keeping your water pipes protected.

Buddy Askew with McCoy’s Heating and Air Conditioning has some preventative tips.

“Close the outside vents around your foundation to keep the draft out,” vice president with McCoy’s, Buddy Askew, said.

“You can check your attic access, pull down staircases, any doggy doors, windows, to check for drafts,” Askew adds, “make sure your hoses are loose from the hose bibs outside so the water won’t freeze and break a pipe in your house.”

Both Childress and Askew recommend having your furnaces and central heat and air systems professionally inspected.